Halden Hound: regional names and recovery

Key facts

Early breeder named

Hans Larsen Bisseberg, Østfold [source]

Halden name dated

1938 [source]

Recognition milestone

1952 [source]

The regional population had more than one name

The Norwegian Kennel Club’s hunting-dog account identifies farmer Hans Larsen Bisseberg in Østfold breeding the type in the 1860s. It records Bisseberghund and later Ankerstøver among earlier names, the latter associated with the Anker family at Rød Manor in Halden. It dates the Haldenstøver name to 1938 and recognition as a breed to 1952. These milestones explain why searching only the modern name can miss part of the local history. They are not evidence that each older name represented an entirely separate closed breed.

Imported and local hounds formed the background

NKK’s breed-selector history describes English foxhounds, Beagles and local scent hounds contributing during the later nineteenth century. It also describes the effects of the 1931 distemper outbreak and the Second World War, followed by renewed breeding after the war. The account links this recovery to the 1952 recognition milestone. This provides a concrete development sequence: regional selection, disruption, renewed organisation and recognition. The narrowness of the breeding base appears as part of the historical account; a guide should not turn an old population description into an invented current census or an individual medical prognosis.

The standard preserves a particular Norwegian hound identity

The FCI standard identifies Halden Hound under number 267 as a Norwegian scent hound. Its physical description includes a rectangular outline, hanging ears and a short coat with undercoat, while NKK describes the characteristic white ground with black and smaller reddish markings. These details help connect the modern standard with the named regional population, without proving ancestry from appearance alone. The historical dossier complements an ordinary breed profile by explaining who and what the names refer to and why 1938 and 1952 both appear in accounts. Actual hunting results and an individual pedigree remain separate records from this source-based chronology.

Common questions

Sources & further reading

References for this guide. Rules and services can change; check the responsible organisation for current details.

• NKK: Haldenstøver hunting history (opens in a new tab)
• NKK: Haldenstøver regional development (opens in a new tab)
• FCI: Halden Hound standard 267 (opens in a new tab)

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